Cadmium and lead in livestock feed and cattle manure from four agricultural areas of Bursa,Turkey

The cadmium and lead contents in cattle manure taken from four agricultural areas exposed to different degrees of environmental pollution and in the livestock feeds grown in those places were measured by Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). The levels of cadmium and lead contamination in the manures of the cattle, which were fed in the areas far from industries, traffic or urbanization, were less than those that were closer to heavy traffic and industrial activities. The highest heavy metal content was found in cattle manure collected from the region with heavy traffic, followed by the industrial region and the rural region. Among the live stock feeds used in the present study, the highest levels of lead were found in grass; and the lowest levels were obtained from the samples of straw.